Been thinking lately about what life experiences would make the best designer (skills aside).

A not too serious list, for discussion (in no particular order)-

1. Make/Fix something for your own use2. Get fired3. Bring a product to market, with your own money4. Start your own consultancy5. Pitch/sell an idea to investors6. Work corporate7. Work in a consultancy8. Live/Work in a different country9. Teach10. Work on a royalty or equity basis

Thoughts? These are just off the top of my head, nothing too serious or meant to be all encompassing. I can't say I've done all myself, and not sure how many designers have, but think at the very least it's an interesting thought experiment and maybe a start of a life guide for designers to consider how those experiences other than the usual skills/jobs can affect a designer's outlook.

rkuchinsky wrote:Been thinking lately about what life experiences would make the best designer (skills aside).

A not too serious list, for discussion (in no particular order)-

1. Make/Fix something for your own use2. Get fired3. Bring a product to market, with your own money4. Start your own consultancy5. Pitch/sell an idea to investors6. Work corporate7. Work in a consultancy8. Live/Work in a different country9. Teach10. Work on a royalty or equity basis

Thoughts? These are just off the top of my head, nothing too serious or meant to be all encompassing. I can't say I've done all myself, and not sure how many designers have, but think at the very least it's an interesting thought experiment and maybe a start of a life guide for designers to consider how those experiences other than the usual skills/jobs can affect a designer's outlook.

R

I got fired at least ten times, does that make up for the other nine things?

slippyfish wrote:Quick thought is that except for #1 the list could be applied to any profession/discipline/market, not just design.

What, like a build a shelf? Or paint a fence? Out of all those 10 I would figure #1 is the most universal across not only any profession, but any human on earth. That's pretty much all people talk about after summer vacation, things they've been working on for the house/summer cabin.

Damn I should have dealed with the "get fired" part earlier in my career.

Great Topic!

11. Have kids and take responsibility for them.

mo-i

P.S. My main role model is an ancient uncle of mine, who had the misfortune to stay on the eastern side of the wall. First he had to make his own tools, than he had to convert his self constructed roadster into a milk truck. When the wall came down he was already in retirement but took full use of the new opportunities when building two boats in his shed. Ask his wife what she thinks of glasfiber and you know why the second one happens to have an aluminium hull.

Get fired and work on a royalty/equity basis are the only two I haven't done. Although, I count working for equity as when my company went through a rough patch a while back...that's all I was working for. I also disagree with this in principle. The only time you should work for equity is when you are controlling your own destiny. Not someone else.

Having done the kids thing, I disagree. People take having kids too lightly and watching the amount of dumbass parents around me (not excluding myself), I definitely do not encourage everyone to have them. I lean towards the side of thinking that parenting should require a license or something.

My add....since this is asking about designers....all designers should hold a sales job, or go through sales training.

Another, all designers should go to visit an asian factory. Going to the factories 3-5 times a year for 8 years taught me so much. It is one thing to intellectually understand a manufacturing process, and another to observe it in person. Also to understand the labor that goes into finishing and assembly.

I second the being in a factory. In fact, I've always wanted to try to actually make the products I have others make myself. I would love to do every step in the production line just to get a feel for what is involved. I'm sure my quality would be terrible, but nice to know it's not as easy as it looks.

I can vouch for #2 on the list. Though that can be broken down in two categories:1) Getting fired2) Getting laid off

I've had the dubious pleasure of being on the receiving end of both of those and while at that moment it doesn't matter which of the two it actually is, (its still a kick in the teeth), you can at least make peace with #2 by knowing that it wasn't personal and probably not any reflection on you as a professional.

#1 is trickier. A lot of soul searching / self examination is required, but the sting of this too can be eased over time by keying in on what happened and what you could have done better. Accept responsibility for those things you did wrong and learn from them.

Either way, it can be devastating at the time, but in the long run can serve to give you some valuable experience and hopefully make you a better person/designer/employee.